Hello, friends! Due to time commitments, I have decided to merge Modern Bride with a Budget with my food and fitness blog, Savvy Eats. To learn more about our wedding and other adventures, please visit:

We took our engagement pictures tonight, and our photographer already has a preview up on her blog! I love the pictures, and I’m so glad we decided to go with Blue Dandelion Photographer for our wedding!

I was just going to post my personal favorite, but it was way too hard to decide, so here are all 5!

From top to bottom: My favorite, but barely (they are all so good!); in the famous UW-Madison Memorial Union chairs on Lake Mendota; “serious” picture at the Union (I thought I would suck at these, because I can’t not smile when I’m told to not smile, but it worked!); gotta love the shoe pics!; on a dock on Lake Mendota right outside Memorial Union!

I just discovered this site, and I love love love their dresses! ModCloth is a small company that sells unique clothes, and was opened 7 years ago when the founder, Susan, was only 17!

I had my bridesmaids pick out the dresses that they felt fit their personalities best, as long as it was knee-length and a shade of blue. They loved not having to conform to the same dress, since they all have such different body types… that’s what they tell me at least, and I hope they aren’t just saying it to make me happy!

If you want to have your bridesmaids pick their own dresses, and you want to support a small company, check out ModCloth. And they are completely affordable! Seriously, aren’t these dresses great?

Dancing in Manhatten Dress

Picnic in Paris Dress

Gestural Dress

Daiquiri Dress

And finally, this one. I want this dress. I really really want this dress. Love it!

Two weekends ago, 3 of my 4 bridesmaids, our officiant and I went shopping for dresses. Unfortunately, BM Kari couldn’t make it, since flights from LA to Minneapolis aren’t cheap. But as you may recall, she already picked out her dress when she was home for the siblings’ graduation.

And if you are wondering why our officiant came with us… Cordelia was going to be a bridesmaid, but then I would have had more bridesmaids than Dan has groomsmen, an idea he wasn’t big on. So, since Cordelia is also a good friend of Dan’s, she is getting ordained so that she can perform our ceremony. We’re very excited about this because neither Dan nor I are particularly religious, and it will be so much more personal this way.

I’m happy to report that Cordelia and all of the BM now have dresses for the wedding….

Maid-of-Honor and college friend, Kelley will be wearing this dress in cobalt blue.

Kelley

Bridesmaid and sister Marisa will be wearing this dress in a dark teal color:

Marisa

Bridesmaid and middle/high school friend Abby will be wearing this dress in cobalt blue:

Abby

BM and Girl Scouts/middle school/high school friend Kari will be wearing a navy dress.

And finally, officiant and college friend Cordelia will be wearing this dress in eggplant. That way she can be distinguished as having a different role than that of the BM, but still kind of match them:

Cordelia

I’m so glad the wedding party (minus Kari… sad face) got to meet each other and bond a little over lunch… and got along splendidly!

Kari, we’ll have another get-together so you can meet Cordelia and Kelley!